Pursuing a web ‘slam’

There’s no feeling like scoring a “slam” – hooking a trout, snook and redfish – in the seemingly endless saltwater flats of Florida’s west coast.

One minute you’re distracted by an Osprey soaring above the perfectly calm sea as the fishing line floats in the shadows beyond your flat-bottom boat. The next, the water is boiling with an angry game fish fighting to free itself of your rig.

Of course, the excitement is somewhat tempered when it’s not you, but your fishing buddy, who pulls in the coveted threesome (within the first few minutes on the water, no less) leaving you to catch a sorry collection of catfish and mangrove snapper the rest of the morning.

Norm Weston, the self-described “Fishin’ Magician” who led our expedition, can sympathize. He’s been angling the waters off the Pine Island Sound near Sanibel Island since 1974, and although he’s caught every conceivable fish that swims here, there’s one “net” that continues to foil him: his Web site.

“For some reason, the site attracts a lot of fly fishermen,” he says. “I can’t figure out why.”

It isn’t that Weston doesn’t want any charter business from the fly-fishing crowd – he does. It’s that this variety of anglers presents its own challenges, and all things being equal, you’re left with the impression that he’d prefer more of a mix.

As the sun climbed over the mangrove forests where our boat was anchored, Weston explained the dangers of fly-fishing in the flats. The hardcore fly-fishermen (and yes, they’re mostly men) insist on wading through the waist-deep water until they arrive at the edge of the mangroves, where they begin casting.

The bull sharks that prowl the area aren’t pleased by the disturbance. Considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks, these blunt-nosed predators live in the estuaries and flats, feeding on everything from big game fish like tarpon to the tiny mullet, a baitfish. Their eating habits are versatile — and opportunistic.

From time to time, these bull sharks brush up against one of the purist anglers. “They mean business,” our grim-faced fishing guide explained. Although none of Weston’s customers have been seriously hurt, it’s a risk he’d probably rather not to take.

Besides, there’s enough excitement in pulling fish into a boat to leave anyone with the jitters of residual adrenaline for the rest of their vacation. Before noon, I hooked an enormous redfish that took off like there was no tomorrow into the mangroves and had to be cut loose. My fishing partner nearly pulled in a record snook – as if she hadn’t already done enough damage for the day – but it escaped at the last minute.

The Fishin’ Magician’s Web site does a fine job of bringing the sights and sounds, if not the thrills, of a private charter to a vicarious adventurer. But there are no sections for fly-fishermen on the electronic storefront, no images that would make Weston’s charter business look as if it specialized in this angling specialty.

It could have more to do with the likely fact that fly-fishing adherents are among the most wired adventurers. Although there aren’t any cold numbers to back it up, anecdotal evidence to support that assertion is plentiful. Just click online to find any number of sites devoted to destinations, fly fishing gear and fly-tying tips. The big ones include The Virtual Flyshop, Fly Fisherman magazine’s online presence, Fly Fishing Club and Fly Fish America, a news site.

If the conventional wisdom about wired anglers is true, then Weston’s problem will solve itself. In a few years, as more travelers discover the Internet, the Web site will draw a desired mix of new customers rather than the shark bait that worries Weston.

Meantime, I’ve got my sights set on next year – and another shot at a flats “slam.”

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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